Justice-Involved Recovery Coaching connects individuals with lived experience to peers navigating substance use and reentry challenges within the criminal justice system. These trained peer coaches offer nonjudgmental support, mentorship, and practical guidance before, during, and after release – helping people build recovery plans, access community resources, and strengthen skills for long-term stability. Grounded in trust and shared experience, peer recovery coaching promotes hope, reduces isolation, and supports successful reintegration into the community.

The Lives Forward program in Westchester County helps individuals with criminal justice lived experience prepare for careers as Certified Peer Specialists (CPS). While still incarcerated, participants work toward completing the 13 required courses and exams from the Academy of Peer Services and the additional exams needed to earn their Certified Recovery Peer Advocate (CRPA) certification through the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD). This training supports their professional goals and successful re-entry into the community.

The Fresh Start Program is a collaboration between the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH), local Police Departments, and MHEP’s RISE Center. It offers individuals with a first-time, low-level, non-violent offense the chance to take responsibility, complete a three-hour restorative class, and clear the incident without a criminal record. Led by bilingual staff and recovery coaches with lived experience, the program also provides personalized support in goal setting, self-advocacy, and connection to housing, employment, healthcare, and peer networks – empowering participants to move forward with confidence.

The Community Oriented Re-Entry Program (CORE) is a collaboration with MHEP, DCMH, Westchester Department of Corrections (WDOCS), and New York Care Solutions. The CORE program provides mental health services and support to peers awaiting ajudication and/or are sentenced to jail. This interagency effort assists participants with navigating obstacles to reach their individual goals upon release. MHEP staff facilitate support groups and assist the peers in access to health care, legal concerns, education, housing, clothing, employment, family reconciliation, and developing social supports. Peer Support does not end with the individual’s release from the criminal justice system. Individuals may follow-up on community supports established while incarcerated and/or continue to be involved in recovery supports at MHEP’s RISE Center.

The Rensselaer County initiative of MHEP’s Recovery Support Team provides peer-led recovery coaching and support to individuals involved in the county’s justice system, including County Court, Probation, and the Troy Alternative Treatment Court (TACT), as well as others seeking justice-involved recovery coaching. Services are delivered in a variety of settings including peer support groups, community NA/AA meetings, one-on-one sessions, gender-specific support groups, and extend into the community to meet individuals where they are in their recovery journey. Grounded in shared lived experience, this approach fosters trust, connection, and personalized support for sustained recovery and successful community reintegration.